Ohio Wesleyan to Rededicate Renovated Merrick Hall Aug. 20

Ohio Wesleyan will rededicate historic Merrick Hall on Aug. 20 as part of its convocation ceremony to welcome incoming students. Following its yearlong, donor-funded renovation, Merrick Hall will house The OWU Connection. (Photo by Jessica Vogel)

Historic Building to Support Both Educational Innovation and Elegant Events

Ohio Wesleyan will rededicate historic Merrick Hall on Aug. 20 as part of its convocation ceremony to welcome incoming students. Following its yearlong, donor-funded renovation, Merrick Hall will house The OWU Connection. (Photo by Jessica Vogel)

DELAWARE, Ohio – When Ohio Wesleyan University’s Merrick Hall opened in 1873, it was devoted to the study of science and was among the earliest U.S. college buildings built for such a single academic purpose.

When the 142-year-old building reopens Aug. 20 – following a yearlong, $8-million, donor-funded restoration – Merrick Hall again will be cutting-edge in its academic vision and purpose.

“On the first of its three floors, Merrick Hall will house The OWU Connection, a faculty-led initiative designed to help students connect classroom theory with real-world experience, understand important issues from multiple academic perspectives, and prepare to become moral leaders in the global society,” said President Rock Jones, Ph.D.

The first floor will include offices for two staff members who will help students understand and access all aspects of The OWU Connection, including Theory-to-Practice Grants, Travel-Learning Courses, interdisciplinary Course Connections, and more. The staff and students also will have access to three interactive touchscreens, enabling them to quickly review information about previous OWU Connection experiences that have resulted in students traveling to more than 60 countries and nearly every continent since the program began in 2009.

On its second floor, Merrick Hall will feature state-of-the-art classroom and seminar spaces, including one room with flat screens on each of its four walls. “Faculty and students will be able to utilize each screen simultaneously,” Jones said, “creating an ‘active learning’ environment that supports the hallmarks of a liberal arts education: creative thinking, effective collaboration, and clear communication.”

As for Merrick Hall’s third floor, it will feature elegant event space with a potential that soars even higher than its ceiling, which reaches an attention-grabbing 22 feet at its highest point. The room also features gothic arches and large windows that overlook the OWU campus to the south and the City of Delaware to the north.

“Besides serving the needs of campus,” Jones said, “this beautiful venue will be available to the community for weddings, catered receptions, and other celebrations.”

In addition to its 19,684-square-foot interior, Merrick Hall’s exterior also has been updated, with special effort made to preserve and refurbish its façade of locally quarried blue limestone. The exterior renovation also added a south-side main entrance and patio that already has served as the backdrop for Ohio Wesleyan’s 2015 graduation ceremony and for the Central Ohio Symphony’s 4th of July concert.

Ohio Wesleyan will rededicate historic Merrick Hall at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 20 as part of the annual convocation ceremony that welcomes incoming students and their families to the OWU community. Guided tours of the building, located at 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, will be available from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Designed by renowned architect William Tinsley, Merrick Hall is one of 11 sites on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus included on the Nation Register of Historic Places. The building is named in honor of Frederick Merrick, president of Ohio Wesleyan from 1860 to 1873.

Learn more about The OWU Connection at https://www.owu.edu/academics/the-owu-connection/ and more about giving to the university at https://www.owu.edu/alumni-and-friends/give-to-owu/make-a-gift/.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.